Consumers Affected
17,000,000
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general and Pennsylvania sued the U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security to block the federal government from seizing the personal data of 17 million commercial drivers from the CDLIS database. The coalition argues the demands violate federal privacy laws and the Constitution, and seeks an injunction to prevent the data transfer.
The coalition seeks a court order declaring the data demands unlawful, blocking the federal government from obtaining the states' records, and preventing AAMVA from turning over the information while litigation proceeds.
In-house legal teams should review any contracts with government agencies, data sharing agreements, and vendor agreements that involve personal data, particularly driver's license information. They should examine clauses related to data access, data transfer, confidentiality, and compliance with privacy laws such as the Driver's Privacy Protection Act. Additionally, agreements with organizations like AAMVA that manage state databases should be scrutinized for provisions that could allow unauthorized data disclosure or require compliance with federal data demands. Teams should ensure that contracts include robust data protection obligations, clear limitations on data use, and mechanisms to resist unlawful government requests.
Entity
U.S. Department of Transportation
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-sues-trump-administration-block-illegal-seizure-millions
illinois et al v united states department of transportation
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/illinois-et-al-v-united-states-department-of-transportation-et-al-complaint-2026.pdf
illinois et al v united states department of homeland securi
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/illinois-et-al-v-united-states-department-of-homeland-security-brief-iso-2026.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"U.S. Department of Transportation"
"the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, the Privacy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution"
"unlawful data demands"
Attorney General Jay Jones and a coalition of 24 attorneys general obtained a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from demanding a database of state-owned records containing personal information of 17 million CDL drivers from AAMVA and from terminating over $10 million in federal funding. The lawsuits allege DOT, FMCSA, and DHS violated federal privacy laws by secretly creating a database with no guardrails on use or sharing of Social Security numbers and no public notice.
Attorney General Jay Jones and a coalition of 21 attorneys general obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from demanding a database of state-owned records containing sensitive personal information of 17 million commercial drivers from AAMVA. The lawsuits allege the federal agencies violated federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act by seeking to acquire the data without guardrails or public notice.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 attorneys general plus Pennsylvania secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from seizing the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of 17 million commercial drivers nationwide, including nearly 500,000 New Yorkers. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted the TRO, preventing the federal government from accessing the data or cutting off access to the critical database.
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and DHS to block demands for the personal information of 17 million CDL drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data transfer.
Attorney General Phil Weiser joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general and Pennsylvania in filing two lawsuits against the Trump administration for demanding a database of state-owned records containing sensitive personal information of 17 million commercial drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data from being turned over by the August 17 deadline.
Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and AAMVA to block demands for a database containing personal information of 17 million commercial drivers. The federal government threatened to withhold $10 million in funding unless the data was turned over, which the coalition argues violates privacy law.